A Want of Kindness

September 12, 2016
In her first novel, Limburg re-creates the life of Lady Anne of York, the late 17th-century granddaughter of the
martyred Charles I, niece of the restored Charles II, daughter of James II, and future Queen of England. She grows up a weak-eyed and pious child in the court of her charismatic uncle, with her sister, Mary. Married off to Prince George of Denmark, Anne suffers numerous miscarriages; her surviving son, William, Duke of Gloucester, is sickly from birth. There is little love lost between Protestant Anne and her Catholic-leaning father, so Anne barely misses a beat after James is overthrown by Mary’s husband, William of Orange, in the Glorious Revolution. Unfortunately, Anne’s relationship with her sister takes a serious hit after Mary becomes queen and keeps Anne on a short financial leash. The novel ends before Anne can ascend to the throne, but the story told here is tragic without being especially dramatic. The historical record does not make Anne an easy character to portray or love, but Limburg goes full Hilary Mantel in burrowing deep into her life and the politics of the Stuart court. Writing in short chapters interspersed with actual letters to, by, and about Lady Anne, Limburg proves adept at creating the inner life of an English queen who has been overlooked by history.

October 1, 2016
Limburgs first novel is an intimate portrait of a Stuart princess whom history has occasionally underestimated. Princess Anne, daughter of James, Duke of York, and niece of Charles II, the monarch who occupies the newly restored throne of England, grows up at a sensitive time. As a child, Anne is coddled and encouraged to gorge herself in a court relishing pleasure after 30 years of Puritan rule. Older sister Mary weds Prince William of Orange, a short, hunchbacked general Anne thinks of as this Dutch Abortion. As she matures, Anne forms a particularly close friendship with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, one of her ladies-in-waiting. Annes arranged marriage to George, Prince of Denmark, proves to be a love match. However, childbearing is problematic for both royal sisters: Mary cannot conceive, and Anne, despite at least 17 pregnancies before age 35, gives birth to only one comparatively healthy child, her son, William, Duke of Gloucester. After Charles death, the ongoing clash between Papism and Anglicanism continues to divide many families, not least the royals: though Anne and Mary are firm Protestants, their father, James II, who ascends to the throne, is Catholic. Mary and William depose James and restore a Protestant regime, which they rule jointly. Anne is next in line followed by Gloucester. Her former regard for Mary quickly cools, as Mary restricts her allowance, criticizes her gambling, and, in the ultimate betrayal, forces Sarah from Annes side. The narrative is linear, providing serial glimpses into Annes obsessions, anxieties, and many physical challenges, including smallpox as a child, miscarriages, stillbirths, and crippling gout. Small scenes are telling: Annes enmity toward William of Orange is amply summed up when he hogs a dish of peas. This is decidedly a scholarly approach to historical fiction, complete with scrupulous adherence to the diction of the day and excerpts from Annes actual correspondence. The abrupt and inconclusive ending appears to signal a sequel. Limburg succeeds in humanizing Anne and bringing her worldview to vivid life.

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